Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger raced his way to fifth overall in the 450MX Class at Round 8 of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship, with 250MX Class contender Maximus Vohland taking an eighth-place finish at Washougal.
Plessinger opened the weekend by powering his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the seventh-fastest time in qualifying, as riders navigated their way through the shadows of the notoriously slick track layout, which would become increasingly challenging as the day progressed.
A top-10 start in moto one resulted in a difficult outing of sorts for Plessinger, who claimed a seventh-place result by race's end. For moto two, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pilot launched out of the gates to grab the all-important holeshot, holding onto the lead for the opening laps and setting a strong pace at the front of the pack.
Battling hard throughout the race, Plessinger would charge all moto long, and ride to a hard-fought third-place moto finish, which resulted in him climbing to fifth overall for the round and sees him maintain third in the 450MX Class points chase.
Aaron Plessinger: “I was very mad at myself after the first moto – I'm not sure what I was doing! Then I came back, thought about what it was that I did wrong, and how I could fix it, which started with a holeshot in the second moto. It was a really, really good second moto, I led a few laps, then tried to latch on to Chase [Sexton] and Jett [Lawrence] there, but they're riding fast at the moment. I was able to hold on for third, and my final few laps were strong, which was a really good end to my day."
In 250MX, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Vohland continued his consistent streak in the class, setting the sixth-fastest lap-time in the morning's qualifying session. A quick start in the opening moto saw him in the fight among the leaders, as he charged his way to an eventual fifth-place score. An eighth in moto two would secure Vohland P8 overall for the round.
Maximus Vohland: “Not a bad day here in Washougal. Good start in the first moto and ran up front with the leaders for a long while before crossing the line in fifth. Second moto, not as good of a start, but I was still in a good position, and then ended up having a fall. I lost what felt like around 10 positions, and then from there it was about charging through the field, which I did and managed to get up into eighth."
For dual MX2 World Champion Vialle, Washougal marked a tough first appearance at the Washington circuit, as the Frenchman posted the 14th-fastest qualifying time before an early fall in the opening moto spelled an untimely end to his day.
Tom Vialle: "I was really disappointed not to be able to race in the second moto today after falling in the first one. I haven't done any major damage, but I was banged up in what was a really big crash for me. I'm kind of lucky now that we have the break with two weekends off, so I will have time to heal up and look ahead to Unadilla."
Next Race: August 12 – New Berlin, New York
Results 450MX Class – Washougal National
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 1-1
2. Chase Sexton (USA), Honda, 2-2
3. Jason Anderson (USA), Kawasaki, 4-4
OTHER KTM
5. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM, 7-3
18. Max Miller (USA), KTM
22. Anthony Rodriguez (VEN), KTM
26. Kevin Moranz (USA), KTM
29. Justin Rodbell (USA), KTM
31. Trevor Schmidt (USA), KTM
34. Robert Martin (USA), KTM
39. Jeremy Hand (USA), KTM
Results 250MX Class – Washougal National
1. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha, 1-1
2. Justin Cooper (USA), Yamaha, 3-2
3. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 2-4
OTHER KTM
8. Maximus Vohland (USA), KTM, 5-8
16. Josh Varize (USA), KTM
19. Brock Bennett (USA), KTM
20. Preston Boespflug (USA), KTM
23. Slade Smith (RSA), KTM
24. Hunter Cross (USA), KTM
26. Colton Aeck (USA), KTM
30. Derek Kelley (USA), KTM
31. Ethan Lane (GBR), KTM
35. Marcus Phelps (USA), KTM
37. Jesse Jacobsen (USA), KTM
40. Conner Lords (USA), KTM
41. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
Standings 450MX Class 2023 after 8 of 11 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 400 points
2. Dylan Ferrandis, 305
3. Aaron Plessinger, 280
OTHER KTM
9. Cooper Webb, 147
28. Max Miller, 22
34. Dante Oliveira, 15
36. Christopher Prebula, 12
38. Tyler Stepek, 11
41. Brandon Scharer, 7
43. Kevin Moranz, 5
45. Trevor Schmidt, 4
58. Jeffrey Walker, 1
Standings 250MX Class 2023 after 8 of 11 rounds
1. Hunter Lawrence, 300 points
2. Haiden Deegan, 297
3. Justin Cooper, 281
OTHER KTM
7. Maximus Vohland, 219
8. Tom Vialle, 210
22. Derek Kelley, 33
25. Slade Smith, 28
28. Josh Varize, 16
34. Jimmy Decotis, 13
37. Matti Jorgensen, 7
38. Lux Turner, 7
39. Brock Bennett, 7
42. Preston Boespflug, 4
44. Marcus Phelps, 2